Absorb

English[]

Etymology[]

15th Century, from Old French, from Latin absorbeō (“‘absorb’”), from ab (“‘from’”) + sorbeō (“‘suck in’”). Compare French absorber.

Pronunciation[]

(RP) IPA: /əbˈzɔːb/, /əbˈsɔːb/
(US) IPA: /æbˈzɔːrb/, /æbˈsɔːrb/
Audio (US) noicon
(file)

Rhymes: -ɔː(r)b

Verb[]

Infinitive
to Absorb

Third person singular
-

Simple past
-

Past participle
-

Present participle
-

to Absorb (third-person singular simple present -, present participle -, simple past and past participle -)

(transitive) To include so that it no longer has separate existence; to swallow up; to engulf; to overwhelm; to cause to disappear as if by swallowing up; to use up; to incorporate; to assimilate.
- (A date for this quote is being sought): William Cowper:
  Dark oblivion soon absorbs them all.
- (A date for this quote is being sought): Washington Irving:
  The large cities absorb the wealth and fashion.
(transitive) To suck up; to drink in; to imbibe; as a sponge or as the lacteals of the body.
(transitive) To learn
(transitive) To engross or engage wholly; to occupy fully; as, absorbed in study or in the pursuit of wealth.
(transitive) To consume completely.
(transitive) To endure.
(transitive) Template:Physics To take up by chemical or physical action.
Heat, light, and electricity are absorbed in the substances into which they pass.
(transitive, business) To assume or pay for as part of a commercial transaction.

Synonyms[]

(to include so that it no longer has separate existence): assimilate, engulf, incorporate, swallow up, overwhelm
(to suck up or drink in): draw, drink in, imbibe, soak up, sop up, suck, suck up, steep, take in, take up
(to learn): acquire, assimilate, ingest, learn, take in
(to consume completely): use up
(to occupy fully): engage, engross, immerse, monopolize, occupy
(to endure): accommodate, bear, endure, sustain, withstand
(finance: to assume or pay for): assume, bear, pay for

to take in

Antonyms[]

(physics: to take up by chemical or physical action): emit

Derived terms[]

absorption
absorbable
absorbability

Translations[]

to include so that it no longer has separate existence (1)

Arabic: يحتمل, يستوعب, يسع
Bulgarian: поглъщам bg(bg)
Chinese: 吸收 cmn(cmn) (xīshōu)
Dutch: absorberen, (in zich) opnemen
French: absorber fr(fr)
German: absorbieren, (in sich) aufnehmen
Hebrew: ספג he(he) (safág)

Italian: assorbire it(it), incorporare it(it), includere it(it)
Japanese: 吸収する (きゅうしゅうする, kyūshū suru)
Norwegian: absorbere, oppsluke
Portuguese: absorver pt(pt)
Russian: поглощать ru(ru) (pogloščát’) (impf.), поглотить ru(ru) (poglotít’)

REDIRECT Template:pf.; вбирать ru(ru) (vbirát’) (impf.), вобрать ru(ru) (vobrát’)
REDIRECT Template:pf.

Swedish: absorbera, uppsluka

to suck up or drink in (2)

Arabic: يمتص
Bulgarian: гълтам bg(bg), поглъщам bg(bg)
Chinese: 吸入 cmn(cmn) (xī rù)
Czech: vstřebat
Dutch: absorberen, opzuigen
Esperanto: absorbi eo(eo)
Finnish: imeä fi(fi)
French: absorber fr(fr), éponger fr(fr)
German: aufsaugen de(de)
Greek: απορροφώ el(el) (aporofó)

Hebrew: ספג he(he) (safág)
Italian: assorbire it(it)
Japanese: 吸う (すう, sū)
Norwegian: absorbere no(no)
Portuguese: absorver pt(pt)
Russian: поглощать ru(ru) (pogloščát') (impf.), поглотить ru(ru) (poglotít’)

REDIRECT Template:pf.; вбирать ru(ru) (vbirát’) (impf.), вобрать ru(ru) (vobrát’)
REDIRECT Template:pf.; впитывать ru(ru) (vpítyvat’) (impf.), впитать ru(ru) (vpitát’)
REDIRECT Template:pf.

Swedish: absorbera, dra åt sig, fånga upp, suga i sig, suga till sig, suga upp, ta upp

to learn (3)

Chinese: 吸收 cmn(cmn) (xīshōu)
Czech: vstřebat
Finnish: omaksua fi(fi)
French: absorber fr(fr)
German: aufnehmen de(de)
Greek: αφομοιώνω el(el)
Japanese: 吸収する (きゅうしゅうする, kyūshū suru)

Norwegian: absorbere no(no)
Portuguese: absorver pt(pt)
Russian: поглощать ru(ru) (pogloščát’) (impf.), поглотить ru(ru) (poglotít’)

REDIRECT Template:pf.; вбирать ru(ru) (vbirát’) (impf.), вобрать ru(ru) (vobrát’)
REDIRECT Template:pf.; впитывать ru(ru) (vpítyvat’) (impf.), впитать ru(ru) (vpitát’)
REDIRECT Template:pf.

Swedish: tillgodogöra sig

to occupy fully (4)

Chinese: 全神貫注 cmn(cmn), 全神贯注 cmn(cmn) (quánshénguànzhù)
Dutch: verdiepen, bezig houden
French: absorber fr(fr)
German: (ganz) in Anspruch nehmen, fesseln
Greek: απορροφώ el(el) (aporofó)
Hebrew: שקע he(he) (shaká)

Italian: assorto it(it)
Japanese: 吸収する (きゅうしゅうする, kyūshū suru)
Norwegian: oppsluke
Portuguese: absorver pt(pt)
Russian: поглощать ru(ru) (pogloščát’) (impf.), поглотить ru(ru) (poglotít’)

REDIRECT Template:pf.

Swedish: engagera, fängsla, helt uppta, uppsluka

to consume completely (5)

Chinese: 完全吸收 (wánquán xīshōu)
Dutch: consumeren, opgebruiken
German: konsumieren, aufbrauchen
Italian: assorbire it(it)
Japanese: 処理する (しょりする, shori suru)

Norwegian: absorbere no(no)
Portuguese: absorver pt(pt)
Russian: поглощать ru(ru) (pogloščát’) (impf.), поглотить ru(ru) (poglotít’)

REDIRECT Template:pf.

Swedish: förbruka sv(sv), konsumera sv(sv)

to endure (6)

Chinese: 忍耐 (rěnnài)
Dutch: ondergaan nl(nl)
German: aushalten de(de), ertragen de(de)

Norwegian: utholde
Swedish: absorbera, uppta

physics: to take up by chemical or physical action (7)

Bulgarian: абсорбирам bg(bg)
Chinese: 吸入 cmn(cmn) (xī rù)
Dutch: absorberen nl(nl), imeä nl(nl)
Estonian: neelduma et(et)
Finnish: absorboida fi(fi)
German: absorbieren de(de)

Italian: assorbire it(it)
Norwegian: absorbere no(no)
Russian: поглощать ru(ru) (pogloščát’) (impf.), поглотить ru(ru) (poglotít’)

REDIRECT Template:pf.; вбирать ru(ru) (vbirát’) (impf.), вобрать ru(ru) (vobrát’)
REDIRECT Template:pf.; впитывать ru(ru) (vpítyvat’) (impf.), впитать ru(ru) (vpitát’)
REDIRECT Template:pf.; абсорбировать ru(ru) (absorbírovat’) (impf.) and
REDIRECT Template:pf.

Swedish: absorbera, uppta

finance: to assume or pay for (8)

Chinese: 吸收 cmn(cmn) (xīshōu)
Japanese: 負担する (ふたんする, futan suru)

Norwegian: påta seg
Swedish: absorbera, bestrida, påtaga sig

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

Albanian: gëlltis, thith, gëlltit, gulçoj
Ido: absorbar
Indonesian: serap, menyerap
Interlingua: absorber
Korean: 흡수하십시요 (heupsuhasipsiyo)
Novial: absorba
Romanian: a absorbi
Spanish: absorber

Anagrams[]

abbors,
bobars